Crossfire, Chapter 9
Chapter 9 Connie dear, will you please come here." Reaver called out for her for what seemed like the thousandth time that day. Connie huffed and shuffled over to the man she despised. "What is it now Reaver?" She said, tiredness and aggravation in her voice. Reaver was sitting in another of his many red velvet armchairs, sipping a glass of expensive wine and reading a rather steamy novel. He looked up from his book and smiled at the young heroine. "This book, its a rather delicious read my sweet Connie. Can you guess what its about?" He teased. Connie made a face. "Probably some sort of perverted sex novel is all I can gather. The fact that your reading it gives that away." She snorted. Reaver's smile widened. "I'll assume that means your not very well read then dear. "The Silver Rose of Master Devon" is by far the most exquisite work of romance ever written." Reaver replied. Connie had never heard of the book, and she assumed that Reaver was merely taunting her again. "I had no idea that romance was your thing Reaver." She countered. "That would probably be because you have never taken the chance to get to know me my sweet Connie." Reaver retorted. Connie grinned. "I already know everything there is to know about you. You're a rather prominent figure around Bloodstone, and your so conceited that you never miss an opportunity to have your life publicized. I've even heard rumors and gossip about you in as far off as Bowerstone and Oakfield." "You really belive that you know everything there is to know," Reaver stood and took a step towards an unsuspecting Connie "about me?" Connie locked eyes with those of the pirate. "Yes I do. But if your so sure that there is something I missed, why don't you tell me something I don't know?" Connie snapped. Reaver took another step towards her. "Alright then. I shall. But first, you have to be willing to get to know me better." "That's exactly why I thought I was doing." "No. What you are doing is being sarcastic and nasty. You don't really want to get to know me better. Your just trying to prove how full of myself I am for your own personal gain. What I am talking about, is spending time together. Every day." Connie backed up. "Ok, your right Reaver. I don't care. I already know too much about you as it is, I really don't want to get to know you any better, actually, I wish I could just forget about you." She snapped. "What if I told you that, if you spend one week with me, personally, you could go back to your dear little mongrel, and I would even pay you back for your house." Reaver asked. Connie was shocked by the words that he spoke. He would actually let her go? Just for spending a little one-on-one with him? No. There had to be more to it than that. "What's the catch Reaver? What do you really want out of all this?" Reaver stepped in close enough for Connie to feel his soft breath on her cheek. She shuddered a bit, and then looked up into his eyes. They were green and fiery, like that of a dragon. "No catch my dear. I merely want your companionship is all. No sex, no more being my maid, and nothing that you don't want to do. Just be with me a while." The sound of his voice had a strange newness to it, and Connie was almost overpowered by the strong aura of sadness that he was projecting. She almost took another step away from him. It was just so odd coming from Reaver. Connie knew a few minor spells, but she had never really wanted to become much of a Will user. She mainly used her will energy for reading auras. It came in handy more than spells alone when in battle, because if she could understand how her enemy was feeling, she had a huge advantage. Knowing if your opponent was tired, badly hurt, or afraid of you were all crucial but almost impossible without her rare skill. Connie had been reading auras for so many years now, that she rarely had to focus to do so anymore. Which was why when she was around Reaver, she automatically picked up on his emotions. Reaver stood solid in front of her, awaiting her reply. Connie had to think if she had ever seen him this serious before. He usually had such a cocky and laid back personality that even when he had been so in the past, Connie found it very difficult to take him seriously. Thinking back on it, she wondered why he hadn't ever tried to kill her. She knew he was dangerous, but she had always felt that he was too infatuated with her to spill her blood. Which is why she spoke her mind around him. In her own way, Connie was taunting Reaver, and she had thought nothing of it. It wasn't until the day that he had kidnapped her a week ago that she had first felt terror when she looked at him. Connie smiled up at him. "Alright. I'll spend some time with you. I just don't see how this is going to be beneficial to either of us. Whatever happened to me paying you back for your coat?" "If you do this for me Connie, we can just forget all about it." Reaver returned her smile with one of his own. Connie felt strange. He's up to something. She told herself. He's got to be. Reaver walked off towards the bookshelf and returned with another book. "Here. We really need to get you acquainted with some decent literature." He said as he handed Connie the book. "What is it? Your autobiography?" She joked. Reaver laughed. "No, I am thinking of having one published however, but its still a work in progress." Connie rolled her eyes. She looked down at the leather bound book in her hands. It was the same book that Reaver had been reading earlier. Connie ran her fingers along the pages of the book. "Its rather long. If I'm only going to be here a week then I won't have time to finish it." She told him. 'Then you simply take it with you. As you already know, I've got another." Reaver waved off her concern. Connie looked at the book again. "What's it about?" She asked. "It's a love story in which the rich and powerful Master Devon falls in love with his lowly and humble maid, Isabelle. Its about love transcending the classes, and enriching the heart. Pure fiction." Reaver explained, ending with a slight tang of disgust on his voice. "Is that how you see it then?" Connie asked. "Is love pure fiction?" "You're young Connie. Too young to know the ways of the heart. Have you ever been in love?" He asked. Connie felt herself blush wildly. "I'm not really sure..."She stated. Connie had had a boyfriend once, long ago back at the Bower Lake gypsy camp. He had been with her two years, until she had left on her sixteenth birthday. The relationship had been little more than casual, although they had shared a first kiss, but it had ended when the couple had mutually called it off, saying that her being a hero would make their relationship difficult. If she died, she did not want to hurt him. And he in turn, did not want to distract her from her quest to save Albion. Connie had not had a serious romance in all her life. She was still a virgin. Reaver's serious question had caught her off guard. Before she could give him a clear answer, he stepped in close again. Connie felt herself growing dizzy. Reaver leaned forward until he was face to face with Connie. "Well, lets find out, shall we?" Connie gasped as Reaver pressed his lips into hers. The act had been so quick, so unexpected, that she hadn't had the time to react. He kissed her softly, and with pure passion. Then, as quickly as he had begun, he pulled away, letting Connie recover. He looked at her, her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were glassy. Connie could hardly move, barely bring herself to speak. She hated Reaver, but why then? Why had she allowed him to kiss her? Her mind, swirling with new information, was too much. She slid down the wall, and sat on the crimson carpets, hugging her knees. Reaver looked down at her, curious. "Are you alright?" He asked, when she buried her face into her lap. Connie didn't answer. She didn't think she could. It was all too clear to her now. The reason she had moved to Bloodstone, it had never been about the seashore. It had been about him. The man that she was convinced she hated, she had secretly been slowly falling in love with all along. She had hidden her feelings so long behind a veil of hatred and constant sarcasm that they were foreign and new to her. But now Connie knew that she could never escape her longing for the handsome rogue. That was the reason why she was so upset. It wasn't anger, nor embarrassment. It was the realization that she loved someone that could never love her back. Connie couldn't bring herself to look at him. Reaver knelt down next to her. He had never gotten such a reaction from anyone he had ever kissed. Her actions were so unhappy, that he wondered if he had somehow harmed her. "Connie?" He asked again. Connie kept her face hidden from view. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, but she fought to keep them there, she did not want to cry in front of Reaver. Reaver felt the same strange feeling again. The one that he had felt the day he had hurt Connie's feelings outside of the food stall.'' Why does she do this to me? I kissed her, and now she's upset. Why should I care? I got what I wanted out of her, granted I still want much more. She's just another girl to me. Then why? I care about her so deeply. All I want to do is console her in my arms right now, but she would just push me away. I think I'm falling in love with her. ''Reaver's epiphany was even more shocking to him than Connie's was to her. ''Falling in love? The great Reaver, Hero of Skill, Pirate King, falling in love? With some poor hero girl no less. What's happening to me?! ''A small seed of light had begun to grow within the nether regions of his blackened heart. He wanted to go to her, wanted to tell her he loved her and that he would be good to her. Connie could stand it no longer, she began to cry. When he heard the small whimpers coming from her lips, Reaver almost touched her shoulder. But he fought the urge and turned away from her. His new feelings made him uncomfortable. Love. That was a feeling that he hadn't felt in centuries. And one he thought he would never feel again. Reaver looked once more over at Connie, and then stood. He exited the room, leaving Connie in a sobbing heap on the floor. That evening, Reaver stood poised, looking out over the expanse of the sea from his master bedroom. The room was dark, and he stood with a half-drank goblet of wine at the full-length window which was as tall as he was. The full moon was high in a sky so dark blue, that it was impossible to tell where the the ocean and the heavens collided in their midnight rendezvous. Bloodstone was quiet, it always seemed quiet when Reaver wasn't throwing one of his parties. The serenity of the little oceanfront village by the light of the street lamps had always made Reaver feel at peace. He could watch the waves of the sea, see the small wooden chateaus, and feel as if he hadn't a care in the world. It was ironic, that just beyond the quaint view, up the hill and to the right, lay his worst nightmare. No matter how much gold he had, how many women he bedded, how much renown and respect he received, nothing could take his mind off of what he had done. All the power in the world could never make him forget, nor make the shadowy remains of his hometown disappear. Reaver took another long sip of the wine, swirling it as he often did when he was nervous. "What was I thinking today with Connie? She's a sweet girl, beautiful. But she's not like the usual girls I spend my time with. She's fragile, breakable. Like I used to be. Back then." He spoke to himself, alone in the large expanse of the room. He had been grateful when Connie's cries had finally dissipated into silence. "She must have fallen asleep. Poor dear. I had no intention of upsetting her, I thought she would enjoy it." He continued his solitary conversation. "I should have left her alone. I regret ever letting Claude give her that letter. She probably threw it away anyway. She wants nothing to do with me." He said sadly. He was not used to rejection, in fact until Connie had come into his life, Reaver had never been rejected. Which was why he had been initially attracted to her. From the first day the two had met, he had been secretly captivated by her. He beauty, her personality, the way she had never been intimidated nor infatuated by him, and until recently, it had been a dark game to him to see if he could break her, or make her fall in love with him. But now his own strange feelings made his hair stand on end. When was the last time he had felt this way? "It must have been with her." The bitter memory made him swig down the rest of the wine, and then refill the goblet for the fifth time that evening. He could never bring himself to call Cammilia by name anymore. Just calling his old lover 'her' was more than enough to stab at the deep void in his heart. Maybe Connie was the one who could fill that void! "I can't do it...I just can't! If I start, I won't be able to stop, and then I'll just hurt her." Reaver told himself, a slight slur was beginning to develop in his melodious voice. "That's all I'll do. She's, a lovely little hero, and I can't...bring myself to...aw she'd never love me anyway..." He took another chug of the wine. Reaver was noticeably getting dizzier and thought it would be wise to step away from the window. He finished the last of the red wine and headed towards his bed. He plopped down and pulled the covers around him, barely noticing as he fell asleep.